The wide-angle perspectives of Google Street View are almost instantly recognizable these days, but Aaron Hobson turns the imagery captured by the roving cameras into exotic worlds that look anything but familiar.

Hobson spends hours navigating locations around the world via his computer, waiting for a scene to strike him with potential. He then applies various post production techniques to the image, lending drama with color shifts and touch-ups. His previous work stopped there, yielding lush landscapes most photographers would be proud of.

The Google Street View car works hard, taking pictures for maps all day. Who knew that it longs for …
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For his latest work, however, Hobson began adding unexpected and fantastical elements like St. Basil's Cathedral sinking into the sea, or an old building perched on top of the Grand Canyon.

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His creations are a great example of what can be done by appropriating the vast databases of imagery that are rapidly becoming a part of our shared visual culture. Google Street View and Google Maps have been prime candidates for many artists like Hobson, who are defining a new kind of authorship made possible by technology and the internet. [Wired Rawfile]